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Hi there!
i'm working on a simple game and i'd like
to have smooth skinning character in it
(hw directx 4 weights per vertex)
however , my problem is not coding
the animation system, but getting the data correctly
from a 3d package (Maya or 3dsmax)
i'd like to know which format / exporter / 3d software
you 're using, and hear about your experiences
fbx?
collada?
ogre xml?
doom3 md5?
polytrans?
thanks !!!

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At work we use the .x file format, and when working on my own engine at home I am just starting to implement model loading now.. and I'm torn between using .x or a custom format along the lines of what Ogre has.

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I use a custom format for which I've written an exporter in Python for Blender.The file format is based on the way the data is represented internally in the engine. Basically, the exporter uses the engine's Python bindings (through Boost.Python), to load the data into the engine, and then calls a function that uses the Boost.Serialization library to save the data to a file.

It's a little long-winded, and it's taken a long while to get it to work, (you can run into some really strange quirks when trying to use certain design paradigms, e.g. singletons, between languages with language bindings). But it works for me.

Besides, if the modeller has a well documented API, then it should be trivial to write an exporter for your own format.

Quote:

the official .x maya exporter hangsor just exports the mesh...

This might be a problem either with the specific mesh you have, or a problem with the exporter. If it's an exporter included in maya, you should be able to get tech support, or they probably have some help forums. It would be more appropriate to ask there, I think.

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own defined file format with self written Python export script for Blender. it's the best way in my opinion. this way you can also add easily the export facility to another 3D package if you have the knowledge about the export system there. in Blender3D exporting with Python is rather easy ;)

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collada handles skinning (as well as everything else) + since the guys from 3dmax + maya are members of the team, i expect the exporters work correctly. certainly a lot quicker using an existing format than making up your own

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Original post by benjand you don't have any problems exportingthe skin / anims?

the official .x maya exporter hangs or just exports the mesh...

The Microsoft exporter for Maya is not the greatest. At work we use Okino Polytrans which has let us export some very complex models with no problems at all. There is also the exporter Deep Exploration which is very good, although I now we strictly use Polytrans.

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I'm using the NIF file format. It's a proprietary format, but it's very powerful and there are (or at least were) freely available exporters for it. The same file format handles static models, skinned models, bump-mapped models, portalised levels, particles, animation of virtually every feature, and is ready made for loading directly into a scene-graph.

I keep meaning to make my own (because of NIF's proprietary nature) but NIFs are just so damn good.

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Original post by PlayerXI'm using the NIF file format. It's a proprietary format, but it's very powerful and there are (or at least were) freely available exporters for it. The same file format handles static models, skinned models, bump-mapped models, portalised levels, particles, animation of virtually every feature, and is ready made for loading directly into a scene-graph.

I keep meaning to make my own (because of NIF's proprietary nature) but NIFs are just so damn good.

I'll second that, .nif format is great, if you have the license for that engine. You can pretty much stuff whatever you want in it and it won't care.

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I have worked with FBX some and the best thing about it is that it really is the industry standard for going between tools along with being a really nice format.

The only reason I chose .X over .FBX in the end was just getting all the free functionality out of D3DX. I may actually add .FBX or dotXSI format support in the future once the majority of functionality is built.

Good luck :)

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